Protecting You
by Nicole.Mitchell
Summary: Sequel to Not a Monster and set a year after. Gaara thinks he's doing the right thing for Sakura by letting her go. Is he?


**Hikaru: **Hi everyone. This is the sequel to my story Not a Monster. Set almost a year after, it goes a little off the given path in this storyline, but I promise that in the end, it will end happily. As always, I do not own Naruto. I found this picture on photobucket after I searched 'gaara sakura'. It's of Sakura healing a wound on Gaara's leg, so I decided that it would make a good story.

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"Gaara...how did this happen?" she asked him, her hand lightly touching the wound on his leg. Summoning her chakra, she used a healing jutsu as she began to mend the wound.

"..."

"Gaara?" she asked again, her green eyes surveying his expressionless face.

"..."

Getting tired of his silence, and letting her temper get the better of her, she took a deep breath. "Gaara!!!!" The pink haired kunoichi all but screamed at the person lying before her.

"...what?" The red haired man asked her, his pale eyes blank as he stared straight ahead.

Letting out a groan the woman shot daggers at him. "Finally! Took you long enough. Seriously, I think you need to let me look at your ears because there's obviously something wrong with your hearing."

"What do you want from me Sakura?" Gaara questioned, his voice soft and as expressionless as ever. Turning his head, his cold eyes stared directly at her, making her shiver slightly.

Sighing, Sakura continued to heal his wound, lowering her gaze to her task. "I just... Gaara, it's been a year. I just wish you could confide in me..."

Flicking his eyes over the young woman, the sand ninja simply stared at her. "It's none of your business."

"..."

Silence. Sakura could believe she had expected anything more from the Kazekage, but she had. After all he had been through- even though what she knew she had heard from Temari and Kankuro, not him- she shouldn't have expected so much from him. Every single time, all she received from doing so was an ache in her heart.

And just as she had predicted, there was the ache again. "...Gaara...why do you always do this?" she asked softly.

"Hn. Do what?" he replied, voice almost as cool as the autumn night air.

"Do this. Pull away from me...Why do you always keep me at arms length?"

"..."

"Gaara, please... say something."

"Do you...remember what I said before?"

Even though it was such a nondescript question, Sakura knew what he meant. He had to be referring to the one thing he had told her a year ago, and almost every day since then. "Gaara... you've tried that before. It's not going to work on me... you should know that."

"...why don't you give up?" He spoke softly, his voice barely audible.

Her head snapping up, Sakura glared at him. "I told you. I love you Gaara. No matter what you do, that isn't going to change."

Gaara didn't speak, just watched her carefully as she finished healing his leg. When she had, he stood up, turning away from her. "The feelings aren't mutual."

"Wh-what?" Sakura stared at him blankly. Standing up, she smiled a little, laying her hand on his arm. "You had me there for a minute. I thought you were serious."

Yanking his arm away from her roughly, the red haired Kazekage turned his cold eyes on her. "I am."

She continued to stare at him, her eyes widening slightly when she realized he was telling the truth. "But...why? I thought that you... I thought you l-loved..." Tears filled her eyes as she spoke, her voice pained.

"Loved you? You...were mistaken." When he saw her tears fall, he felt his resolve start to crumble. He wanted so badly to just hold her in his arms and tell her he didn't mean any of it, but he just couldn't. _She'll only get hurt. This is...for the best, _he reminded himself.

Tears streaming in rivilets down her cheeks, Sakura choked back a sob. "I... I should go... I have to... Tsunade-sensai has a..." Blinking back more tears, she managed to smile sadly at him, before walking away. She didn't turn back.

One lone tear traveled down Gaara's cheek, for he knew. He knew he would probably never see the one that he loved more than anything; the woman he had to push away to protect.

* * *

**Hikaru: ** -is crying- Oh my. That was sad to write. Ok everyone. I know that I'm doing this in one-shots, but there is a purpose for that. What that purpose is, I do not know. I promise to update soon. 


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